Author: Haze

Book Review | Guillotine by Delilah S. Dawson

Posted February 2, 2025 by Haze in Book Reviews / 1 Comment

Guillotine by Delilah S. Dawson

The Menu meets Ready of Not in this dark tale of opulent luxury and shocking violence from the New York Times bestselling author of Bloom.

Thrift fashionista Dez Lane doesn’t want to date Patrick Ruskin; she just wants to meet his mother, the editor-in-chief of Nouveau magazine. When he invites her to his family’s big Easter reunion at their lake retreat, she’s certain she can put up with his arrogance and fend off his advances long enough to ask Marie Caulfield-Ruskin for an internship someone with her pedigree could never nab through the regular submission route.

When they arrive at the enormous mansion on an island in the center of a Georgia lake, Dez is floored―she’s never witnessed how the 1% lives before in all their ridiculous, unnecessary luxury. But once all the family members are on the island and the ferry has departed, shit gets real. For decades, the Ruskins have made their servants sign contracts that are basically indentured servitude, and with nothing to lose, the servants have decided their only route to freedom is to get rid of the Ruskins for good…

For the Reading Challenge(s):
2025 52 Book Club Reading Challenge (Prompt #23: Title is ten characters or less)

The Reason

It was a buddy read and I heard good things about a previous buddy read by the same author.

My Thoughts

If this book was to be made into a movie, it would be the kind of fun comedy-horror that I would be all over. I’m not a fan of most horror movies in general, but I love comedy-horror and I think this would be a really good one.

This book is brutal, gory, sadistic, but so campy and ridiculous that I can’t take it too seriously. I loved that it was fast-paced and that you get so much satisfaction out of most everything that happens. It’s a little psychotic to think that way once you read the book and realize what I’m talking about, but as I’ve said, I don’t think this book is meant to be taken very seriously so I’m perfectly fine enjoying all the psychotic things that happen.

Is this the greatest novel ever written? Of course not, but it was a fun read, and a short one, and very much worth reading if you like comedy horror set on page.

My Rating

⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.

Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?

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Monthly Wrap Up | January 2025

Posted February 2, 2025 by Haze in Monthly Wrap Up / 2 Comments

Welcome to the Monthly Wrap Up hosted by Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction to share our monthly wrap-up posts that summarizes our month in books, our favorite books of the month, what we did on our blogs, and anything noteworthy we want to share.

January 2025 Wrap Up

Hello, my friends! What even is this new year! A month has gone by and I feel like I haven’t found my feet yet. I’m still so frazzled and disorganized it’s not even funny! 😭

I’m doing the bare minimum, but of course, “bad habits” like reading are hard to get rid of, so I’m always reading even as I’m drowning in my disorganization. You could say that it’s partly because of my reading that everything is disorganized, I’m sticking my head in books to avoid handling stuff I need to do. 😅 Ah well, they’ll get done eventually.

My January 2025 TBR Intentions

I didn’t do very well with my TBR intentions even though the list isn’t very long, but 50% isn’t too bad.

  1. The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
  2. The Complete Maus by Art Spiegelman
  3. Captain Corelli’s Mandolin by Louis de Bernieres
  4. ‘Salem’s Lot by Stephen King
  5. The Terror by Dan Simmons
  6. Vicious by V.E. Schwab

Books Read in January 2025

  1. Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann
  2. The Measure by Nikki Erlick
  3. ‘Salem’s Lot by Stephen King
  4. NPCs by Drew Hayes
  5. The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
  6. Shark Heart by Emily Habeck
  7. Joyland by Stephen King
  8. Guillotine by Delilah S. Dawson
  9. The Complete Maus by Art Spiegelman
  10. The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna

Notable Books This Month

Two Stephen King books this month! One was a reread (‘Salem’s Lot) and the other (Joyland) is a new read. I loved them both, as if there could be any doubt!

Killers of the Flower Moon was really good; infuriating and emotional, but also educational, and we ended up watching the movie too.

I also finally read Shark Heart. It’s been on my TBR since last year but not prioritized because I thought it was a light-hearted magical realism story. It ended up being so much more emotional and heartfelt than I expected and I had a lot of great discussions come out of it.

Guillotine and Maus were also really good, but I haven’t written my reviews yet. They’ll be coming soon!

Reading Challenges

I’ve read a few books that fit into The 52 Book Club 2025 Reading Challenge and The Stephen King Constant Reader Challenge already, but I haven’t done a proper tally and I still haven’t decided on the other challenges I actually want to take on. My focus has been all over the place!

I will try to figure things out before this month is over!

February 2025 TBR Intentions

So many books to read, the TBR never ends! There are some I’m looking forward to this month though.

  1. Vicious by V.E. Schwab
  2. The Terror by Dan Simmons
  3. In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
  4. Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros
  5. Perdido Street Station by China Mieville

How was your month in January? What were your most memorable bookish moments? I hope you have a wonderful February with lots of great books!

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Book Review | Joyland by Stephen King

Posted January 31, 2025 by Haze in Book Reviews / 0 Comments

Joyland by Stephen King

College student Devin Jones took the summer job at Joyland hoping to forget the girl who broke his heart. But he wound up facing something far more terrible: the legacy of a vicious murder, the fate of a dying child, and dark truths about life – and what comes after – that would change his world forever.

A riveting story about love and loss, about growing up and growing old – and about those who don’t get to do either because death comes for them before their time. It is at once a mystery, a horror story, and a bittersweet coming-of-age novel, one that will leave even the most hard-boiled reader profoundly moved.

For the Reading Challenge(s):
2025 52 Book Club Reading Challenge (Prompt #45: Author releases more than one book a year)
The Stephen King Constant Reader Challenge

The Reason

People say this is a good one (but they’re all good!).

The Quotes

“When it comes to the past, everyone writes fiction.”

“When you’re twenty-one, life is a roadmap. It’s only when you get to be twenty-five or so that you begin to suspect that you’ve been looking at the map upside down, and not until you’re forty are you entirely sure. By the time you’re sixty, take it from me, you’re fucking lost.”

“It’s hard to let go. Even when what you’re holding onto is full of thorns, it’s hard to let go. Maybe especially then.”

“My father had taught me – mostly by example – that if a man wanted to be in charge of his life, he had to be in charge of his problems.”

The Narrator(s)

Michael Kelly. No complaints, I enjoyed it.

My Thoughts

This one was interesting because I had such a feeling of nostalgia while reading it even though it’s my first time reading it. There’s just this feel to the story and the writing, and maybe it’s because the setting is in an amusement park and that always brings back memories of when you were a child.

I don’t necessarily like Devin’s character – he seemed a little too girl-crazy, but at the same time that’s pretty on point for a young 21-year-old and I’d be a hypocrite if I said I wasn’t affected by hormones at that age too. He was relatable though, and honestly, all the things that annoy me about him are probably things about myself in my 20s that I cringe to remember. Perhaps that’s the reason why this book feels so familiar and nostalgic even though I’m reading it for the first time.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, SK has a real knack for storytelling and pulling you into the story. I don’t consider him a horror writer, he transcends genres and can write anything. I love this one because it gives so much even though it’s one of his shorter novels. The angst of a teenager, the mystery of a serial killer, the found family aspect (and you know I love found family stories!), the friendships and connections, all of it and more.

My Rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.

Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?

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Book Review | Shark Heart by Emily Habeck

Posted January 31, 2025 by Haze in Book Reviews / 0 Comments

Shark Heart by Emily Habeck

For Lewis and Wren, their first year of marriage is also their last. A few weeks after their wedding, Lewis receives a rare diagnosis: He will retain most of his consciousness, memories, and intellect, but his physical body will gradually turn into a great white shark. As Lewis develops the features and impulses of one of the most predatory creatures in the ocean, his complicated artist’s heart struggles to make peace with his unfulfilled dreams.

At first, Wren internally resists her husband’s fate. Is there a way for them to be together after Lewis changes? Then, a glimpse of Lewis’s developing carnivorous nature activates long-repressed memories for Wren, whose story vacillates between her childhood living on a houseboat in Oklahoma, her time with her college ex-girlfriend, and her unusual friendship with a woman pregnant with twin birds.

For the Reading Challenge(s):
2025 52 Book Club Reading Challenge (Prompt #19: Has short chapters)

The Reason

We’ve talked about this book before and it made me curious, but more so recently when my friend said it was one of her top books of 2024.

The Quotes

“In their innocence, they failed to grasp the labor of losing a partner, how the tasks of simple existence would become logistical feats and one person’s burden.”

“In the rare hopeful hour, I tell myself this darkness has a purpose: to help me recognize light if I ever find it again.”

“Plants were probably the most sentient of all living things: rational, bloodless bystanders, witnessing the great horror of it all.”

“Lewis’s mutation was like the weather; they could prepare, but they could not control a thing.”

The Narrator(s)

Karissa Vacker, Shaun Taylor-Corbett, Soneela Nankani. They were all great! I wholly enjoyed the listening experience, and it probably made me not even notice the purple prose.

My Thoughts

I mentioned purple prose, and just from the quotes included above, you get a glimpse of the language of the book. Normally I don’t like too much purple prose, but I didn’t feel like its use here was excessive. I felt it was more heartfelt and poetic and I enjoyed it very much. I must admit that perhaps one of the reasons I enjoyed this book so much is because I keep underestimating it. I thought it was going to be a light-hearted book with magical realism, but it turned out to be deeper than that, and more emotional.

Ultimately, it’s a story about loss and grieving, and how to be the person left behind. It hits hard, but in such a gentle way. It was not what I expected at all from this book. There are other hard-hitting topics covered as well, but I can’t talk about them without giving away spoilers. I might do a discussion post for this soon because there’s much to talk about.

This was a buddy read, and I also discussed it with my friend (and other friends) who read it and said it was one of her top books. A few of us have also read Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield and discussed the similarities, and differences, between the two books. There were a lot of great takeaways and the discussions really made me enjoy the book even more. As good as it is, it doesn’t quite hit the 5 star mark for me, but it’s a good solid 4 stars.

My Rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.

Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?

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Book Review | The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Posted January 17, 2025 by Haze in Book Reviews / 6 Comments

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Barcelona, 1945: A city slowly heals in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War, and Daniel, an antiquarian book dealer’s son who mourns the loss of his mother, finds solace in a mysterious book entitled The Shadow of the Wind, by one Julián Carax. But when he sets out to find the author’s other works, he makes a shocking discovery: someone has been systematically destroying every copy of every book Carax has written. In fact, Daniel may have the last of Carax’s books in existence. Soon Daniel’s seemingly innocent quest opens a door into one of Barcelona’s darkest secrets–an epic story of murder, madness, and doomed love.

For the Reading Challenge(s):
2025 52 Book Club Reading Challenge (Prompt #50: Set in the 1940s)

The Reason

It was a buddy read and a reread, and I remember loving it before.

The Quotes

“Books are mirrors: you only see in them what you already have inside you.”

“Every book, every volume you see here, has a soul. The soul of the person who wrote it and of those who read it and lived and dreamed with it. Every time a book changes hands, every time someone runs his eyes down its pages, its spirit grows and strengthens.”

“People tend to complicate their own lives, as if living weren’t already complicated enough.”

“I could tell you it’s the heart, but what is really killing him is loneliness. Memories are worse than bullets.”

The Narrator(s)

Jonathan Davis. I have no complaints about the narrator. He was very good and I loved the listening experience. I do have a bone to pick about the production though! Throughout the whole book at certain points at the end of chapters, there were music playing that made it very difficult to hear the narration. At the end of the book in the credits, we learn that they were original music composed by the author. Which is great, the music sounds good! It just really made the narration difficult to hear, and I want to iterate that this is an issue with the sound engineering and not the music itself. The audiobook I listened to is produced by Penguin Audio.

My Thoughts

Okay, this book. It’s very meta, it’s very drama, it’s very thrilling, and I’m here for it! However, I have to admit that I find it a little melodramatic at times, and I find it really hard to relate to the characters. This is also a reread, and I remember loving it the first time and rating it 5 stars. This time I feel like I’m only going to give it 4 stars.

To be fair, it is a very good book, written very well with an incredible plot. I love how meta it is; the story within the story, the parallel lives of the characters. There’s a lot of excitement and thrill of trying to figure out the mystery and wanting to know what happens next, and although I didn’t like the characters, I found them very interesting. I also think the intricate plot was done masterfully and the way everything ties together was very satisfying.

It’s just, the characters and the drama feels very “reality-tv-ish”. They are childish and toxic and make a big deal out of everything, holding grudges and getting offended over every little thing instead of just talking things out, ffs. It makes for good tv, lots of drama, and let’s be honest, we hate the villains on reality tv but we also know they bring the most drama, which brings the viewers in!

The stakes in the book are much higher than in reality tv, and the atrocities that happen are a lot more serious, but it still feels like it could all have been prevented if they only talked to each other, find better solutions, and didn’t immediately go scorched earth on everything! They essentially brought it on themselves and blamed everyone else for their misfortunes.

I can appreciate the mastery of the author’s plotting and storytelling. And I can even appreciate the character-building because of how interesting and vibrant they are, but I can’t relate, so it’s 4 stars for me this time. Still a very good book, and well worth reading!

My Rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.

Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?

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Book Review | ‘Salem’s Lot by Stephen King

Posted January 17, 2025 by Haze in Book Reviews / 3 Comments

‘Salem’s Lot by Stephen King

‘Salem’s Lot is a small New England town with white clapboard houses, tree-lined streets, and solid church steeples. That summer in ‘Salem’s Lot was a summer of home-coming and return; spring burned out and the land lying dry, crackling underfoot. Late that summer, Ben Mears returned to ‘Salem’s Lot hoping to cast out his own devils… and found instead a new unspeakable horror.

A stranger had also come to the Lot, a stranger with a secret as old as evil, a secret that would wreak irreparable harm on those he touched and in turn on those they loved.

All would be changed forever—Susan, whose love for Ben could not protect her; Father Callahan, the bad priest who put his eroded faith to one last test; and Mark, a young boy who sees his fantasy world become reality and ironically proves the best equipped to handle the relentless nightmare of ‘Salem’s Lot.

For the Reading Challenge(s):
2025 52 Book Club Reading Challenge (Prompt #42: Non-human antagonist)
The Stephen King Constant Reader Challenge

The Reason

It was a buddy read with my online bookclub, and I’m also doing a personal challenge to read all of Stephen King’s books!

The Quotes

“If a fear cannot be articulated, it can’t be conquered.”

“Only library books speak with such wordless eloquence of the power good stories hold over us.”

“At three in the morning the blood runs slow and thick, and slumber is heavy. The soul either sleeps in blessed ignorance of such an hour or gazes about itself in utter despair. There is no middle ground.”

“The town knew about darkness. It knew about the darkness that comes on the land when rotation hides the land from the sun, and about the darkness of the human soul”

The Narrator(s)

Ron McLarty. No notes, it was great!

My Thoughts

This is a reread and I had very fond memories of reading it the first time during a thunderstorm. I loved the vibes but I think I remembered the vibes more than I remember the details of the book, so I had a lot of fun rereading the book and being surprised and shocked all over again!

I’ve also watched the latest adaptation of the book but didn’t like it very much. It felt very rushed, and rereading the book, one of the things I appreciate about it is that it takes its time. The slow burn was just perfect; the feeling of dread and futility, the anticipation of what’s happening and what’s going to happen, the desperation of trying to do something about it. Oooh, shivers down my spine!

The characters are another wonderful thing about the book. They are all so compelling. Stephen King is so good at getting inside their heads and giving us glimpses of their lives and who they are. I also really love how he writes about “regular” people and show us that sometimes the real monsters are here amongst us.

I also feel like I appreciate SK the more I read, and reread, his books. I tend to miss a lot when I read but every reread helps me to see more details and there is so much to get from SK’s books. This one was such a great reread, and I love it even more now than I did the first time.

My Rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.

Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?

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Book Review | The Measure by Nikki Erlick

Posted January 12, 2025 by Haze in Book Reviews / 2 Comments

The Measure by Nikki Erlick

Eight ordinary people. One extraordinary choice.

It seems like any other day. You wake up, pour a cup of coffee, and head out.

But today, when you open your front door, waiting for you is a small wooden box. This box holds your fate inside: the answer to the exact number of years you will live.

From suburban doorsteps to desert tents, every person on every continent receives the same box. In an instant, the world is thrust into a collective frenzy. Where did these boxes come from? What do they mean? Is there truth to what they promise?

As society comes together and pulls apart, everyone faces the same shocking choice: Do they wish to know how long they’ll live? And, if so, what will they do with that knowledge?

The Measure charts the dawn of this new world through an unforgettable cast of characters whose decisions and fates interweave with one another: best friends whose dreams are forever entwined, pen pals finding refuge in the unknown, a couple who thought they didn’t have to rush, a doctor who cannot save himself, and a politician whose box becomes the powder keg that ultimately changes everything.

For the Reading Challenge(s):
2025 52 Book Club Reading Challenge (Prompt #3: Title starts with the letter “M”)

The Reason

I’m not kidding, I just found it in my borrowed books on Libby one day. I didn’t click on this book, I didn’t even know about this book, it was just there. Then I saw the narrator was Julia Whelan and I love her so I thought I’d give it a try.

The Quotes

“I arise in the morning torn between a desire to save the world and a desire to savor the world. That makes it hard to plan the day.”

“The great American writer Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, ‘It is not the length of life, but the depth of life.’ You don’t need a long lifetime to make an impact on this world. You just need the will to do so.”

“Once you know something, you forget what it was like to not know it.”

“We segment ourselves based on race or class or religion or whatever fucking distinctions we decide to make up, and then we insist on treating each other differently.”

The Narrator(s)

Julia Whelan. The only reason I read this book without knowing a single thing about it. And I’m glad I did!

My Thoughts

This book has such an interesting premise; people all around the world are receiving a special box with a string inside that supposedly measures their lives. They start to separate themselves based on their short or long strings, they start Other-ing each other, a lot of philosophical questions are asked and discussed. We see the stories of a select few people whose lives intersect, and we come to care about them.

Coming into this story with zero expectations, I ended up really enjoying it. It felt so dystopian and sci-fi, but also down-to-earth in a way, and horrifying in other ways. I love that it explores the value of a person’s life regardless of how long or short that life is. I hate that the Other-ing and fear-mongering is so true to life. The first part of the book was really intense and exciting, but the ending seemed a little flat, like the author wasn’t sure what was supposed to happen. It was still a very well-written book, and a fine exploration of the premise, and I enjoyed it overall.

In a way, it also tracks that ending wasn’t clear-cut and tied up nicely in a bow. It fits the theme that we don’t know what happens next and that it’s up to us what we want to make of the story, what we want to get from it and what we want to make of our own lives from here on out.

I mostly find it curious that I found this book on my borrowed list without ever hearing about it or clicking on it. It’s almost like the characters having those boxes of string just appear out of nowhere. It’s spooky and weird and it’s very possible that aliens have sent this book to me as a gift. 😂 Still, I’m grateful for it because it turned out to be a great story and I really enjoyed it!

My Rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.

Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?

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Book Review | Fred, the Vampire Accountant series by Drew Hayes

Posted January 12, 2025 by Haze in Book Reviews / 0 Comments

Fred, the Vampire Accountant series by Drew Hayes

Some people are born boring. Some live boring. Some even die boring. Fred managed to do all three, and when he woke up as a vampire, he did so as a boring one. Timid, socially awkward, and plagued by self-esteem issues, Fred has never been the adventurous sort.

One fateful night – different from the night he died, which was more inconvenient than fateful – Fred reconnects with an old friend at his high school reunion. This rekindled relationship sets off a chain of events thrusting him right into the chaos that is the parahuman world, a world with chipper zombies, truck driver wereponies, maniacal necromancers, ancient dragons, and now one undead accountant trying his best to “survive.” Because even after it’s over, life can still be a downright bloody mess.

For the Reading Challenge(s):
2024 Audiobook Challenge

The Reason

I read the Super Powereds series and loved it, and someone recommended this series to me by the same author.

The Narrator(s)

Kirby Heyborne. He is amazing, I love his narration so much! Listening to him over 8 books in the series is just so wonderful, his voice is Fred for me.

My Thoughts

This is a general review for Books 1 through 8 of the series. There is supposed to be a Book 9 coming out and I’ll probably update this review once I’ve read that, because I purely intend to read it. As of right now though, I’m reviewing the series as a whole.

One of the things I love most about Drew Hayes’ books are the characters; they are all so vibrant and larger than life. Each story in the books really allows us to get to know the characters, and the deeper we get into the books, the better we get to know all of them and come to love them. Fred is such a compelling character and we can’t help but find him charming and relatable. He grows as we go, and there are things he learns as a vampire in the parahuman community that requires him to adapt and evolve but he tries hard to stay true to his values and protect the things and people he cares about.

Another thing I love about the author’s books are the found family element. You know I cannot resist a found family story, and this series is so strongly found family-oriented. I love these characters like family and I was so sad when I thought Book 8 was the final book because I never wanted it to end. I found out there was going to be a Book 9 and I’m estatic! Obviously I know all good things must come to an end, but I’m glad I’ve still got another book to spend with these characters.

I love this series and I believe it will be one I come back to in the future for multiple rereads!

My Rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.

Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?

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Book Review | Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann

Posted January 12, 2025 by Haze in Book Reviews / 0 Comments

Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann

From the #1 New York Times best-selling author of The Lost City of Z, a twisting, haunting true-life murder mystery about one of the most monstrous crimes in American history

In the 1920s, the richest people per capita in the world were members of the Osage Nation in Oklahoma. After oil was discovered beneath their land, the Osage rode in chauffeured automobiles, built mansions, and sent their children to study in Europe.

Then, one by one, the Osage began to be killed off. The family of an Osage woman, Mollie Burkhart, became a prime target. One of her relatives was shot. Another was poisoned. And it was just the beginning, as more and more Osage were dying under mysterious circumstances, and many of those who dared to investigate the killings were themselves murdered.

As the death toll rose, the newly created FBI took up the case, and the young director, J. Edgar Hoover, turned to a former Texas Ranger named Tom White to try to unravel the mystery. White put together an undercover team, including a Native American agent who infiltrated the region, and together with the Osage began to expose one of the most chilling conspiracies in American history.

For the Reading Challenge(s):
2025 52 Book Club Reading Challenge (Prompt #44: A celebrity on the cover)

The Reason

I’ve been wanting to read this and it was available as a Skip the line loan for 7 days from Libby, so I jumped on it!

The Quotes

“History is a merciless judge. It lays bare our tragic blunders and foolish missteps and exposes our most intimate secrets, wielding the power of hindsight like an arrogant detective who seems to know the end of the mystery from the outset.”

“There was one question that the judge and the prosecutors and the defense never asked the jurors but that was central to the proceedings: Would a jury of twelve white men ever punish another white man for killing an American Indian?”

“There never has been a country on this earth that has fallen except when that point was reached…where the citizens would say, ‘We cannot get justice in our courts.’ ”

“Stores gone, post office gone, train gone, school gone, oil gone, boys and girls gone—only thing not gone is graveyard and it git bigger.”

The Narrator(s)

Will Patton, Ann Marie Lee, Danny Campbell. They were great, no complaints on the audio production. Will Patton is a familiar voice to me and it was good to hear it here.

My Thoughts

The horror that was done (and is still being done) to the Indigenous people of America has been talked about for a while now, but I know that a lot of it has been covered up and/or glossed over throughout history and it’s difficult to get a real sense of what actually happened and all the things that happened. This book was a brutal look into one of the things that happened.

I haven’t watched the movie but I am very interested to see how the story is being portrayed. It’s horrifying in and of itself, but more so now because the hate, corruption, and racism is still happening and may possibly be getting worse. It’s crazy to think that in these times, we have not learned or grown from the mistakes of the past. It’s crazy to think that we may even be regressing, and that what has happened before can still be happening.

Some of the crimes that have been committed against the Indigenous people were so blatant and yet, the perpetrators of the crimes are not scared or ashamed of being caught because they had the support of other hateful people. It’s so sad to me that we can look at another human being and think that they are beneath us and don’t deserve basic respect. I’m glad that I read this book and gained some perspective on human nature and the unforgivable things that have been done to Indigenous people, but it’s also a little scary and depressing to realize that it’s not completely behind us. I still think this is a very important book to read in order to open our eyes to the truth, and I would definitely recommend reading it.

My Rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.

Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?

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Book Review | A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers

Posted January 12, 2025 by Haze in Book Reviews / 1 Comment

A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers

Lovelace was once merely a ship’s artificial intelligence. When she wakes up in an new body, following a total system shut-down and reboot, she has no memory of what came before. As Lovelace learns to negotiate the universe and discover who she is, she makes friends with Pepper, an excitable engineer, who’s determined to help her learn and grow.

Together, Pepper and Lovey will discover that no matter how vast space is, two people can fill it together.

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet introduced readers to the incredible world of Rosemary Harper, a young woman with a restless soul and secrets to keep. When she joined the crew of the Wayfarer, an intergalactic ship, she got more than she bargained for – and learned to live with, and love, her rag-tag collection of crewmates.

A Closed and Common Orbit is the stand-alone sequel to Becky Chambers’ beloved debut novel The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet and is perfect for fans of Firefly, Joss Whedon, Mass Effect and Star Wars.

For the Reading Challenge(s):
None

The Reason

This is the second book in the Wayfarer series; I just reread the first one, The Long Way to A Small, Angry Planet and this is also a reread and a buddy read with my online bookclub. I plan to read the next books as well.

The Quotes

“I love learning. I love history. But there’s history in everything. Every building, everybody you talk to. It’s not limited to libraries and museums. I think people who spend their lives in school forget that sometimes.”

“And seriously, anybody working in a job that doesn’t let you take a nap when you need to should get a new job.”

“Owl had said it was important to know how swearing worked, and it was okay under the right circumstances, but that Jane shouldn’t swear all the time. Jane definitely swore all the time. She didn’t know why, but swearing felt fucking great.”

“Just because someone goes away doesn’t mean you stop loving them.”

The Narrator(s)

Patricia Rodriguez. Same as with the first book, I loved her narration and I was completely immersed!

My Thoughts

This is the second book in the Wayfarer series but they’re only tangentially related; set in the same world with a few of the same characters from the first book, but otherwise, a completely different story. This one follows Lovelace/Lovey as she navigates a new body and a new identity for herself. She becomes Sidra, and she’s living with Pepper, whom we also meet in the previous book.

One of the core themes of this book is about finding out who you are, and almost all the main characters in the book has different stories that cover this same theme. One of the things I love most about Becky Chambers’ books is how she explores diverse peoples with different cultures and beliefs and yet show us that they all have some things in common. I also love it because we have the same issues in real life in trying to figure out who we are.

I’ve read the first and second books in this series and loved them, but I haven’t read the next books and I’m eager to get to them and have my mind blown over again with the interesting insights the author shares with us about humanity. I also love the found family aspect in her books, which is so very present here as well. I highly recommend these books!

My Rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.

Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?

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